Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has developed a new concept of working with the Niger Delta Chamber of Commerce in the training of youths and aspiring entrepreneurs in the oil-rich region.
The commission’s managing director, Dr Samuel Ogbuku, disclosed this yesterday at a youth interactive forum organised by the NDDC in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital.
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Ogbuku said the commission would collaborate with the chamber of commerce to support small and medium enterprises in the region.
He said, “We are considering setting up a Niger Delta Chamber of Commerce that will strengthen young entrepreneurs in the region. It is no longer acceptable that our youths will be at home and be receiving stipends.
“Hence, we are changing the NDDC Youth Volunteer Programme to Youth Internship Programme where youths will be attached to organisations for one year to learn skills. The chamber of commerce will help us to ensure that the programme is sustainable. We will focus on empowering young entrepreneurs because the government cannot employ everybody. We will engage the youths to work for the benefit of everyone.
“We have gathered at this forum to hear from the youths; to interact with them and rub minds because we realised that we cannot be planning programmes for youths without involving them at the foundational level.
“The integration of ideas starts from the conception stage. That way, when the programme starts running, ideas of stakeholders are already incorporated. We believe that the youths must contribute to whatever plans we have for them.
“Over the years, certain things were done in ways that are unsustainable. There must be a change at every stage of growth. If we have used certain options and not gotten good results, we must explore other options,” he said.
The NDDC boss said the commission had set up a public, private partnership (PPP) committee to explore sustainable relationships which will impact positively on the people of the region.
Ogbuku said: “We intend to look at all opportunities for collaboration during the PPP summit which we are planning to take place in April. We cannot continue to rely on International Oil Companies to raise funds for development projects.”
In his contribution, the leader of Rivers Youth Forum (RYM), Mr Blessing Fubara, urged the NDDC to make the youth interactive forum a quarterly event, stating that the current management in the commission had demonstrated sufficient interest in providing for the wellbeing of people.
In his closing remarks, the NDDC executive director for finance and administration, Major General Charles Airhiavbere (rtd.), assured the youths that the new ideas put forward by the commission’s managing director had been incorporated into the commission’s 2024 budget.